Cachao

Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content. Learn more.

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Cachao, (Israel Cachao López), Cuban-born bassist, composer, and bandleader (born Sept. 14, 1918, Havana, Cuba—died March 22, 2008, Coral Gables, Fla.), was credited, along with his brother, Orestes, with the creation of the mambo. Cachao studied music as a child, and by age 13 he was playing double bass with the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra. In the late 1930s, with the Arcaño dance band, Cachao and Orestes infused the sedate Cuban danzón with a new Afro-Cuban beat that they called mambo, which by the 1950s represented Cuban music worldwide. Jam sessions that Cachao began in 1957 helped Cuban musicians develop salsa. In 1962 he left Cuba, first for Spain and then for New York City, where he performed and recorded into the 1970s. By 1980, after a short period in Las Vegas, he had moved to Miami. To bring the musician wider exposure, Cuban-born actor and director Andy García produced recording sessions that resulted in Master Sessions I and II (the first volume received a 1994 Grammy Award) and directed a documentary titled Cachao…como su ritmo no hay dos (1994). Cachao returned to the international stage in the 1990s. He received a Grammy for the album ¡Ahora Sí! (2004), and he was the subject of a 2008 documentary, Cachao: uno más.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Karen Sparks, Director and Editor, Britannica Book of the Year.

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